Kansas football: Wisdom from the Jayhawk basketball team
By Stan Unruh
The Kansas football team is in week two of their fifteen spring practices. Head coach David Beaty hopes one player brings some wisdom from the Jayhawk basketball team
One member of the Kansas football team was busy last week helping the Jayhawk basketball team at the Final Four. Redshirt sophomore James Sosinski is one of the very few who can say he played on two Division 1 athletic teams. He was in the right place at the right time when Bill Self needed some front court help for the defending Big 12 Champions.
Nobody promised the 6-foot-7 Sosinski anything. He decided to take a beating from Udoka Azubuike every day at practice. In return, Sosinski became a member of the team that won the program’s 14th straight Big 12 title. He played in seven games and made every shot he took.
Playing for the Jayhawks in Allen Fieldhouse is one thing. Getting into a Final Four game and hitting a shot, despite the game’s outcome is unbelievable. The end of the National semifinal was difficult to watch. On the other hand, watching the football player score in the closing seconds was fantastic.
In addition to helping the Jayhawk starters during practice, Sonsinski contributed on the court during the team’s Big 12 tournament run. Surely you remember big game James late first half appearance off the bench when Bill Self needed a big body to fill the lane against Oklahoma State. He did exactly what the team needed battling the Cowboy’s 6-foot-11 Yankuba Sima. That game started the Jayhawk run through the tourney and on to the NCAA Tournament.
As Sosinski returned to his football responsibilities, Head Coach David Beaty wants his tight end to tell him and the team why the basketball team is a winner.
"He’s going to talk to our team about what he learned over there that we can bring over here because he lived in it. I think that’s going to be very valuable for us."
Sosinski knows what few know
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What Sosinski shares could be worth a fortune to the football team and the coaching staff. Will he tell them the magic Bill Self used to get his team to play tough? Will Sosinski share the secret to motivating Malik Newman or Lagerald Vick that made the difference in the month of March? As a matter of fact, Sosinski might be one of Beaty’s most valuable assets. Kansas football fans hope Sosinski’s message helps the Jayhawks this spring and when the season opens September 1.